Electric-current controller.



C. MONNINGER.

ELECTRIC CURRENT CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION man JULY z, 1915.

1,184,864. Patented May 30, 1916.

awuamtoz 5? K?) CIVIONNINGEH THE COLUMBIA PLNQGRAPH c0" WASHINGTON. D-c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL MONNINGER, 0F MACOMB, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC-CURRENT CONTROLLER.

Application filed July 7, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL MONNINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Macomb, in the county of McDonough and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-CurrentControllers, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relatesto controllers for electric current, andparticularly to that variety of controller where the current is causedto pass through a greater or less number of resistance coils in order tovary the amount of current passing to a lamp, heater, or other likecurrent using device.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a very simple,easily made, and easily operated device of this character.

A further object of the invention is to provide a controller of thischaracter which will be very compact in form and which is so constructedthat it may be set into a wall with the front plate of the controllerbox disposed against the face of the wall.

A further object is to provide a controller so constructed that the coreor slab upon which the resistance wires are wound may be easily insertedor removed from the controller box, provision being made, however, forproviding a heat resisting, readily removable filling between the corewith its resistance wires and the wall of the box or casing.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a face view of the controller; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthereof; Fig. 8 is a face View of the coil box, the face plate of thecontroller being detached; Fig. 4.- is a diagrammatic view showing thewindings on the coil supporting slab.

In the accompanying drawings, 2 designates the face plate of thcontroller box. This face plate is rectangular in form and is providedwith the beveled flanges 3. The upper and lower flanges of the faceplate are perforated for the passage of attaching screws 'whereby thecontroller box or casing may be connected to the face plate, and theside flanges of the face plate are perforated for the passage of screws6 whereby the face plate may be firmly attached to a wall. The front ofthe face plate is pro- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

Serial No. 38,573.

vided with an arcuate slot 7 adjacent the upper end of the face platefor a purpose which will be later described.

The controller casing, as illustrated in Fig. 2, comprises a rectangularbox, preferably of metal, which is designated 8. This box in practicaluse will be about five inches long, two and three-fourths inches deep,and three and one-half inches Wide. The upper end of the box is closedby a detachable wall 9 which is intended to be permanently attached tothe box or casing after the resistance coils have been placed therein.This end wall 9 and the lower end of the wall of the box are providedwith outwardly extending lugs 10, perforated and screw threaded forengagement with the screws l whereby the box 8 is held in engagementwith the face plate. Disposed inward of the outer edge of the side wallsof the box 8 or casing is a plate 11 which is provided with a pluralityof buttons 12, these buttons being arranged in an arc and when the partsare assembled registering with the slots 7. Mounted upon the top wall ofthe casing are the binding screws 13 and 14: whereby the leading in andleading out wires are connected to the c011- troller.

Pivotally mounted upon the plate 11 at the lower end thereof is ametallic arm 15, preferably of brass or copper, the upper end of whichis adapted to have electrical contact and engagement with the series ofbuttons 12. At its upper end this arm has an angularly disposed handle16 which extends out through the slot 7 whereby the arm may bemanipulated. The front wall 11 of the casing or box 8 is disposed inwardfrom the front edges of the side walls of the box or casing so as toaccommodate this arm 15. Extending from one of the binding posts orscrews, as for instance the binding post 14, there is a wire or otherconductor 17 which extends downward to the lower end of the post andacross the bottom thereof and connects by means of the pivot of the arm15 with said arm. An insulated wire 18 extends from the binding post 13to the button A (see Fig. 3).

Disposed within the casing 8 and supported therein in spaced relation tothe walls of the casing by certain lugs as will be hereafter stated, isa coil supporting slab which is designated 19. This slab is made ofporcelain, or some other non-conducting material, and is in practiceabout three and one-eighth inches wide, four inches long and one andone-half inches thick. This slab is wrapped with German silver wire orother resistance wire of No. 28 or 30 gage and the wire is started aboutone-eighth of an inch from the edge of the slab. The end of this wire 20is electrically connected to the button A and is then wrapped aplurality of times, as for instance eight times, about the slab asillustrated in Fig. 4, and is then electrically connected to the nextbutton B. It is again wrapped a plurality of times around the slab andis connected to the button C, and so on, the wire being wrapped aplurality of times between each button and the next until it comes tobutton Z with which no wire is connected. After the slab has been fullywound or wrapped with the wire 20, the slab with the wrapped wires isdipped in Zinc cement and left to harden. This cement holds the wiresapart and keeps them from touching each other or slipping out of place.

The interior of the casing 8 is provided with a plurality of lugsdisposed upon the side walls, the lugs on each side wall beingapproximately one and one-half inches apart and being disposed one andone-fourth inches from the top of the casing. These lugs are designated21. Lugs 2-2 are also disposed on the bottom of the casing. In placingthe slab 19 with the wire 20 thereon in position within the casing, thecoil supporting slab is slipped between the lugs 21 and rests upon thelugs 22. The wires wrapped upon the slab are then electrically connectedto the several buttons. After the coil supporting slab has been put inplace the interior of the casing or box is filled with dry white sandand then the cover or upper wall 9 is put in place.

The larger the light attached to this controller the better service itwill give. As described the device is adapted to be used for currenthaving 100 volts or less and either alternating or direct, with lightranging from ten to one hundred and fifty watts.

My construction saves electricity and permits of the very delicateregulation of electric stoves, irons, and lights. The heat which iscreated by the current passing through the windings of the resistancecoil will not exceed 100 Fahrenheit and the wires will be entirelyinsulated by the white sand 23 contained within the box or casing. It isnot necessary, therefore, to provide any othermeans for preventing undueradiation of heat. My device also is so constructed as to set back inthe wall and the brass plate 2 which forms the front of the box orcasing lies fiat against the wall. The only projection beyond this brassplate is that of the handle 16.

My device provides a very simple, effective, convenient and relativelycheap controller for the purpose intended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a current controller, a resistance coil casing having a bottom, aback wall, side walls, and a removable top wall, the top and bottomwalls having respectively upwardly and downwardly projecting lugs, thefront wall of the casing being set in from the front edges of the sidewalls, top wall and bottom wall and provided with a plurality of contactbuttons, .a coil supporting slab mounted within the casing and supportedin spaced relation to the walls thereof, resistance coils carried uponsaid slab and electrically connected to the contact buttons, 11 contactarm pivotally mounted upon the front wall of the casing and coactingwith said buttons and having a forwardly proj ecting handle, a faceplate having marginal flanges projecting beyond the walls of the casingand having a slot through Which the said handle projects, and fasteningdevices connecting said face plate to the said lugs.

In testimony whereof I hereunto .aflix my Copies 01 this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,Washington, D. 0.

